Virtues isolated go mad
It's a crazy world out there.
Take, for example, the case of Ann Holmes Redding, an Episcopalian priest in Seattle, Washington, who recently made headlines when she announced that in addition to her Christian faith she also considers herself a practising Muslim. On Fridays she prays at a local Islamic centre and on Sundays she attends church; she sees no contradiction in her behaviour.
"I am both Muslim and Christian, just like I'm both an American of African descent and a woman," she says. "I'm 100 per cent both." She shrugs off any theological difficulties such as Islam and Christianity's differing views on the divinity of Jesus. In fact, she believes her dual allegiance is a positive step for the world, helping to ease religious tensions.
Perhaps even more surprisingly, the local bishop, Vincent Warner, says he accepts Redding as both an Episcopal priest and a Muslim, and that he finds the interfaith possibilities exciting. Unfortunately for Redding, the supervising bishop took a less expansive view and suspended her from priestly duties for a year, during which time she is to reflect on Christian doctrines.
Consider also the fate of Chya Raup Saleh, a Kurdish refugee who fled the murderous regime of Saddam Hussein to find refuge in Canada, only to be beaten to death by a Winnipeg teen¬ager wielding a cue ball in a sock. As a penalty the teen was sentenced to a day in jail. The Supreme Court of Canada thought the punishment fit the crime and noted that, thanks to Canada's Youth Justice Act, deterrence cannot be a factor in sentencing anyone under the age of 18.
Naturally, the rights of the killer are scrupulously protected. As in the case of the youngsters who gunned down Jordan Manners in his Toronto school or Jane Creba on Yonge Street, the identity of the Winnipeg killer cannot be made public.
In January Britain's Channel 4 produced a documentary entitled "Undercover Mosque" which surreptitiously filmed Islamic leaders praising violence and preaching messages of segregation and hatred. One speaker is shown blaming Christian missionaries for putting the AIDS virus in African medicine, another praises Osama bin Laden and another counsels parents to hit 10-year-old girls who do not wear the hijab.
This provoked alarm in government and police circles. Swift action was taken. The filmmakers were investigated for inciting racial tensions and police made an official complaint to the nation's television regulator.
A century ago in his masterwork Orthodox, G.K. Chesterton wrote:
"The modern world is not evil; in some ways the modern world is far too good. When a religious scheme is shattered...it is not merely the vices that are let loose. The vices are, indeed, let loose and they wander and do damage. But the virtues are let loose also; and the virtues wander more wildly, and the virtues do terri¬ble damage. The modern world is full of the old Christian virtues gone mad. The virtues are gone mad because they have been isolated from each other and are wandering alone."
We live in a world that is not so much post-Christian in its thinking as it is Christianity in ruins. Our virtues have been adopted by our culture but without the balance and tension that makes them work. Christian life is experienced within the pull of opposite poles: faith and works tug at us, judgement and mercy pluck us in different directions, an extravagant love of life and the need for renunciation of the flesh both have us in their grip.
When the legal system over-emphasizes mercy, we lose the notion of individual responsibility for our actions. When the desire to reach out to different faiths becomes a surrender to them, we abandon the faith that taught us to be tolerant. When sensitivity to the beliefs of others trumps free speech and inquiry, we risk the loss of the democracy that safeguards all rights.
Virtues isolated go mad.
Dear Readers:
ChristianWeek relies on your generous support. please take a minute and donate to help give voice to stories that inform, encourage and inspire.
Donations of $20 or more will receive a charitable receipt.Thank you, from Christianweek.
